It has been a tricky couple of days for the chancellor. But how much trouble is Rachel Reeves really in and how much attention should people be paying to the markets? Politico’s Esther Webber joins the podcast team to look at the challenges facing the chancellor.

The prime minister tried to inject some optimism into the government’s week with a big announcement on AI, but do his plans compute? 

And what does the resignation of Tulip Siddiq reveal about how this government understands the way people view ministerial behaviour?

PLUS: How big is the civil service? How happy is the civil service? How well does the civil service actually do what it's meant to do? A new IfG report reveals EVERYTHING you need to know.

Presented by Hannah White.

With Tim Durrant, Giles Wilkes and Jack Worlidge 

Produced by Candice McKenzie

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Tricky poll ratings, gloomy economic news, and Elon Musk's online onslaught have made for a tricky start to 2025 for Keir Starmer, but how much should No10 be worrying? Theo Bertram, a former adviser to Tony Blair and Gordon Brown joins the pod team to give his verdict.

Musk's X attacks have placed the child grooming scandal on the front pages, but are the Conservatives right to call for a new inquiry?

The government would rather we were talking about its announcements on NHS and social care reform: our resident IfG health expert plans all?

Plus: What will Mark Zuckerberg's Meta's fact-checking shift really mean? 

Hannah White presents. With Emma Norris and Stuart Hoddinott.

Produced by Candice McKenzie.

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It has been quite some year for British politics. Sure, there were no mass-ministerial resignations, rule-breaking No10 gatherings or economy-shaking mini budgets, but July’s general election saw a change of ruling party for the first time in 14 years. 

So did Rishi Sunak’s final rolling of the dice really achieve anything? Could the general election ever have turned out differently? And how have Labour adapted to government – and Keir Starmer to the daurning job of prime minister? What was the surprise of the year? What was the moment of election night? And what does it all say about what might come next…?

Sam Freedman, Giles Wilkes, Jill Rutter and Hannah White gather in the IfG studio to look back on extraordinary 12 months for politics and government.

Produced by Robin Leaburn for Podmasters

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The IfG team has spent the year reading government reviews, white papers, select committee reports, consultations, manifestos plans for change… you get the idea. 

But this podcast is going to step away from the treadmill of political news and instead bring the IfG book club to the podcast studio. So put down whichever IfG report you’re reading, get yourself a glass of mulled wine and a mince pie, and join a cast of your IfG favourites to hear their top tips on non-fiction, fiction, biographies, thrillers, science fiction and more.

And look for a festive treat at the end of the podcast too…

Cath Haddon and Nicola Blacklaws present.

With Hannah White, Alex Thomas, Jordan Urban, Stuart Hoddinott, Jill Rutter and Sophie Metcalfe and the IfG choir.

Produced by Robin Leeburn for Podmasters

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The devolution revolution is in full swing, with Angela Rayner setting out the government’s plans to give power away across England. Former Conservative special adviser Salma Shah joins the podcast team to explore what the plan contains – and whether it stands any chance of working?

Asylum is one of the trickiest issues facing this or any government. The author of a new IfG paper tells us why what has become a chronic policy problem and what could be done to fix it. Plus: Will Elon Musk’s money be making its way into British politics? 

Hannah White presents with Sachin Savur, Akash Paun and Millie Mitchell. Produced by Candice McKenzie.

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Pat McFadden – the minister for the Cabinet Office – is making a plea for an army of disruptors to sign up to the Civil Service and make Whitehall think like a start up. Jess Studdert, director of New Local, joins us to ask whether this is fresh thinking? Plus, Rachel Reeves has another plan to whip Whitehall into shape, and it’s a familiar one. The chancellor is on the hunt for efficiency savings. So where could they be found - and will they really make a difference?

Also: From rewiring the civil service to rethinking the prison service. Does the government have  plan to fix the prison service?

Hannah White presents, with Alex Thomas, Tom Pope and Cassia Rowland. Produced by Robin Leeburn for Podmasters

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Is that sound the heavy thud of a gauntlet been thrown down? The podcast team are joined by Peter Hyman, a former adviser to Keir Starmer – when he was a key player in designing Labour’s missions – and Tony Blair, to make sense of the government’s new Plan for Change.

What do the six new ‘milestones’ say about this government’s five missions? Do targets actually work? Why has Keir Starmer set this plan out now? And why is he sounding so frustrated with the civil service?

Plus: Sir Chris Wormald is the new cabinet secretary. So who is he, and what can he do to deliver the prime minister’s command to completely rewire the British state? 

Catherine Haddon presents.

With Jill Rutter and Nick Davies

Produced by Candice McKenzie

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After weeks of speculation, and many rounds of interviews, Sir Chris Wormald has been confirmed as the UK’s new cabinet secretary. But who is Chris Wormald, why has Keir Starmer appointed him, and how can he succeed as the country’s top civil servant?

David Lidington, the former minister for the Cabinet Office and Theresa May’s one-time de facto deputy prime minister, joins the IfG team to make sense of someone who is both the conventional pick and yet also the surprise choice for the job of the country’s top civil servant.

What does Wormald bring to the role? What is waiting in his in-tray? How exactly could he set about that big rewiring job? And what steps he can take to ensure the civil service can deliver Keir Starmer’s priorities?

Presented by Emma Norris.

With Cath Haddon and Alex Thomas.

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It’s a competition that has gripped the nation. The candidates have been whittled down. The country is on tenterhooks. Strictly? Of course not. We’re talking about the appointment of the next cabinet secretary. The Guardian’s Rafael Behr joins the podcast team to speculate about who might get the job – and what they need to do.

How can the government get more people back to work? It has published a new “Get Britain Working” white paper for starters, but what does it set out and is this any different to anything we have heard before?

Plus: Does the government have an electric car problem? 

Hannah White presents.

With Alex Thomas and Nehal Davison.

Produced by Robin Leeburn for Podmasters

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Keir Starmer has been on his travels again, but it has been a tricky week at home for the government. Tim Ross and Rachel Wearmouth, the authors of new book Landslide: The Inside Story of the 2024 Election, join the podcast team to discuss how Labour returned to power – and how Starmer and his team are faring. 

The Budget has gone down very badly with Britain’s farm owners and a private members’ bill on assisted dying is posing a big headache for Starmer. How much worse could things get? And from bruising encounters to a political bruiser, the former deputy prime minister John Prescott, a key figure in the last Labour government, has died. The pod team look back on Prescott’s legacy. 

PLUS: Labour is promising to set up a lot of new public bodies: 17 and counting. A new IfG report has been tracking their progress, and reveals how to succeed, or not, when setting these bodies up. 

Cath Haddon presents, with Giles Wilkes and Matthew Gill. Produced by Jade Bailey for Podmasters and the IfG.  

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We are living in a different world. Donald Trump’s world.

Kim Darroch, the UK's former ambassador to the US, joins the podcast team to make sense of what could be some jaw-dropping appointments to the Trump administration.

The UK government has been scrambling to make sense of it all too - responding in measured tones while potentially bracing for impact. So how should Keir Starmer handle the new Trump era?

Plus: COP29. The prime minister has been on his travels again - this time to Azerbaijan for a major climate change summit. 

Hannah White presents.

With Alex Thomas and Jill Rutter.

Produced by Candice McKenzie

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